


knitting: hobby or way of life?

by alexanderlightweight



Series: Words of October 2019 [8]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alcohol, Attempt at Humor, Coffee, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Flufftober, Friendship, Knitting, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 05:51:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20887163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexanderlightweight/pseuds/alexanderlightweight
Summary: sometimes knitting is a metaphor for life and sometimes it's just a hobby to share with a friend(...and then sometimes it's both)Flufftober Day/Prompt 3: Blanket





	knitting: hobby or way of life?

Alex frowned at a particularly stubborn knot. It had tangled together enough that it was obvious but he’d been lost in thought and was only just now noticing it. He was just coming to the decision that he’d have to unravel his work when a knock sounded on the door. It took him a moment to secure everything before he opened the door and found Kyle there with a hopeful look.

Alex gave Kyle a long look and then sighed, “did you at least bring coffee with you?” He asked as he walked back to the couch, leaning his crutches against the coffee table and settling down.

“I did,” Kyle said and he hesitated near the doorway, “you sure you don’t mind?”

“Reheat the coffee, add a couple of shots and shut the damn door Kyle.” Alex said and he left no room for disagreement when he glared at Kyle from the couch. He was too exhausted to deal with anything else and he had a feeling that Kyle felt the same. 

The last three days had been a mental and emotional whirlwind and now that it was over, Alex no longer felt like he was going to be dropped off a cliff. Instead, he was convinced that he was already at the bottom of one.

“Whiskey’s above the fridge,” he called when he heard a telltale beep and the whir of the microwave. 

It took a few minutes and it gave Alex enough time to settle himself. He knew that Kyle could be visiting for a variety of reasons, anything from Caulfield and Project Shepherd, to dealing with hiding so much from his mother. 

Or, it could be the fact that in the last three days, Rosa had been resurrected, Kyle had been shot and in turn put Jesse Manes in a coma and Max had died. All fairly alarming, confusing and generally life-changing events. 

“You knit?” Kyle asked, breaking Alex from his musing as he sat two mugs of generously spiked coffee down. Alex could smell the whiskey from the couch and he inhaled the sharpness of alcohol and the earthy scent of coffee, letting it distract him.

“Yeah, I picked it up while in the hospital and stuck with it through rehab,” Alex said and tapped his leg idly, “I wasn’t sure about it at first but it was something to do when there wasn’t a lot I could.” 

There was a moment between them of silence and Alex closed his eyes, just for a moment as he sipped his coffee.

“Feel like teaching me?” Kyle finally asked, “I feel like I could use something to do but my brain is,” he took a breath. “I don’t think I can handle thinking about one more thing.”

“Alright,” Alex nodded to the space on the couch next to him, “grab the bag over there and bring it here.”

Kyle did as instructed and then settled next to him, “so how frustrating is learning this going to be?”

“You’re a doctor, Kyle.” Alex reminded him with a smirk, “using sharp instruments to piece together soft, delicate things is literally part of your job. Now pick a color and one of the thicker yarns, it’ll be easier for you to get the hang of.”

“Well, I definitely hadn’t thought of it like that,” Kyle admitted and took the bag, rummaging until he found a soft fabric in dark red. He held it for a moment, rubbing the thread between his fingers and then he sighed. “It reminds me of Rosa’s lipstick, I remember she always wore that shade.”

“Her armor,” Alex said quietly. 

“I know it’s not the same,” Kyle said and put the rest of the yarn down, out of the way, “but maybe-” he paused. “We weren’t close in high school and just because I know she’s my sister doesn’t mean we’re suddenly confidents or that she’ll trust me. It’s just one of the only things I know about her that doesn’t have to do with her being Liz’s big sister. I was hoping that maybe if I make her something that color it’ll be familiar, comforting even.” 

“Well, a scarf is easy enough for a start and we have time.” 

“So, what are you making?” Kyle asked, after Alex had patiently and good-naturedly shown him how to knot and then loop the yarn.

“A blanket,” Alex said shortly, not wanting to expand but Kyle reached out and poked him. “Hey, do no harm, Dr. Valenti,” he scolded and smacked Kyle’s hand away. Kyle tried to engage him in a stare-off but blinked first and then resorted to the underhanded move of stealing his coffee. “Oh for- fine. It’s a blanket for Michael.” Kyle handed the mug back to him and Alex rolled his eyes, “between working in his bunker and being at the caves, he’s probably going to get cold and I don’t need another one.” 

“I thought you two, never mind-” Kyle paused and then took a hasty gulp of his own coffee, wincing from either the alcohol or the heat. Alex appreciated that he was trying not to pry too much but at this point not many things were actually a secret.

“He’s still my family,” Alex told him, “but life is complicated. I know that better than most. Considering that our relationship was a mess even before I knew that Michael was an alien, I’d say that now, convoluted has become a severe understatement when it comes to describing what’s between us.” 

“You’re not, I don’t know... upset about it?” 

“I am, but I have more important things to do with my time than to waste it by being bitter and angry.” Alex said and sighed, “look, sometimes life gives you fucked up options and you have to take the choice that hurts the least. Because you’re in so much pain that you know you can’t take any more or you’ll break.” Alex knitted as he spoke, “we all make shitty choices sometimes. A lot of the time it’s to protect ourselves. I love Michael, Kyle. But I’ve lived and fought through battles that affected far more than just me and I’ve made mistakes.” 

“So you’re just okay with it? Because you know how to rationalize it, that makes it hurt less?”

“No, but what or how I feel about things isn’t what’s important right now. I’ve been managing my own heartbreak for over a decade,” Alex told Kyle. “I’ll admit, being back here again in Roswell, with Michael and then all of this shit with my dad- it opened up a lot of old wounds. There’s something about this place, it took me a moment to catch my balance, to remember that I’m not a terrified teenager fighting against the world.”

“So what are you?”

“I’m a badass with a lot of baggage and holding more cards than anyone actually knows,” Alex said and grinned, “so let me worry about me. There are things that I need your support and your help with, but my relationship with Michael isn’t one of them.”

“Your call,” Kyle said, “but I’m here if you ever need me.”

“Thanks, but maybe for now, focus on your knitting. You just missed every other loop, I hope you don’t do that with your patients.”

Kyle cursed and held up his needles and yarn and looked closely at his mess, “people are easier.” He grumbled, “at least they bleed if you poke them in the wrong place.” 

Alex shook his head, laughing as he helped untangle the mess. It took a little while but much like life, most of the complicated snags in knitting could be fixed when you took the time and had the patience. If it couldn't, well he had more yarn and they could always start over.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr as [alexanderlightweight](https://alexanderlightweight.tumblr.com)


End file.
